Cummins: 'Minor setback' ended T20 World Cup hopes, aiming for the IPL
Cummins said he "ran out of time" to be fit for the World Cup, hopeful of a return in the IPL and mindful of being fit for Australia's monster 2027 schedule
AAP
03-Feb-2026 • 11 hrs ago
Pat Cummins poses for a selfie • Getty Images
Pat Cummins admits aiming to be firing for Australia's monster 2027 was part of why he pulled out of the T20 World Cup.
The Test and ODI captain has been replaced in Australia's squad for the upcoming tournament in Sri Lanka and India by Ben Dwarshuis.
Cummins has been plagued by a back injury since Australia's tour of the Caribbean last July, with his only match since being the Ashes-clinching win in Adelaide.
When the urn was retained in just 11 days, Cummins and the Australian hierarchy decided he would sit out the final two Tests of the summer with an eye on the T20 World Cup.
But a "minor setback" led to the star quick not risking his long-term health, especially given he endured years of back issues early in his career.
"It was really unfortunate," Cummins, an Amazon Prime Video ambassador, told AAP.
"I feel pretty good, just a minor setback and just ran out of time really.
"I'll rest up for a few weeks and go from there.
"We knew after the [Adelaide] Test match we were going to need somewhere between four and eight weeks to let the bone settle right down before then building back up.
"Initially, we thought it might only be four weeks, because I was feeling really good, but just had a follow-up scan.
"They thought it probably needs another couple of weeks, so the timeline just became a bit too tight."
Australia's schedule, starting in August when they host Bangladesh in Darwin and Mackay, is unprecedented.
After the Bangladesh Tests, Australia will embark on a Test tour of South Africa in September for the first time since the infamous "Sandpapergate" series in 2018.
They will return for four home Tests against New Zealand, before being on the road for much of 2027.
Next year involves a five-Test tour of India, the pink-ball 150th anniversary match against England at the MCG, an away Ashes, an ODI World Cup, and a possible World Test Championship final at Lord's.
Cummins said he didn't want to be "chasing his tail" for the monster 18-month period ahead.
"We thought the first half of the year was a pretty good time to be conservative with the amount of cricket that's coming up," the 32-year-old said.
"We'll get it right, then hopefully that will mean you won't have to worry about it, and you can just go out and play all those Test matches.
"Whereas, if you're not careful with it now and it flares up, you're chasing tail a bit."
Captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, Cummins hopes to lead his franchise when the lucrative competition starts on March 26.
"We'll just be guided by my back," he said.
"We'll have another scan in a few weeks, and if it's good, then we'll have a slow build-up.
"T20s are a little bit easier to get up for [than Tests], that's why I was so close to getting up for this World Cup."
Australia were whitewashed 3-0 in the recent T20I series against Pakistan, raising concerns about how they will perform in the World Cup.
They will be without Cummins and Mitch Starc, who has retired from T20 internationals. Josh Hazlewood will definitely miss the early part of the tournament.
"It wasn't our greatest few games [in Pakistan], but the guys are coming off a strong Big Bash, and a couple of guys coming back from injury for the World Cup," Cummins said.
"Morale is good. Chatting to a few of the boys from afar ... they know how big it is, they're desperate to get started and get into it."